


Captain Fantastic And The Gentleman Spies

by ASR (MSiLeT), MSiLeT



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fix-It, Focus more on the friendships, Happy Ending, M/M, Post-TGC, but Merlin is alive, he will come back later, this fic will start out a bit sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-02-15 17:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13035654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MSiLeT/pseuds/ASR, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MSiLeT/pseuds/MSiLeT
Summary: After the fall of Poppy, Harry, Eggsy and Elton John stay in contact and slowly become friends. What Elton never expects is that he is also slowly, unknowingly becoming a Kingsman.Alternative summary: The Kingsman spy buddies fanfic with Sir Elton John that you probably did not think you needed.





	1. The Show Must Go On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Elton John in this fic is a character of a made up universe. In real life I would always stand by his relationship with husband David Furnish, I love them and I know how much Elton's kids mean to him. I make Elton John single in this fic purely for the convenience of writing it. Let's consider it's an Earth-2 (or another number) Elton John.
> 
> On that note, I'd like to base this Elton John on the physique of 2005-2008 period Elton John (which means, physically, he is aged down for about 10-12 years but I keep his age the same) as I don't believe the 2017 Elton is as active anymore and it would be extremely unbelievable if he does any extreme action scene (not that Matthew Vaugh cared but I do a little). Not sure if I will make any specific reference to his appearance in the fic but I put the information up here in case anyone needs it for easier visualization.

"Show must go on.  
Inside my heart is breaking.  
My make-up may be flaking,  
But my smile still stays on."  
The Show Must Go On - Queen

* * *

 

**_Poppy's hideout, directly after the code was entered._ **

 

So, this is it. They save the world, again. The price they have to pay this time, however, is too high. They have lost most everything. Kingsman is gone, along with every single one of its agent, including Merlin. Merlin, just the word alone tears Harry's heart apart. There was no time for emotion before as he fought and fought, Merlin's words spurred him on but now, standing here, Whiskey being literally minced meat, he feels like the world no longer makes any sense. Nothing feels real. The sounds of someone sobbing pulls him out of his daze. It is Eggsy who is openly crying.

"Merlin is d-dead. He's dead and it was my fault. I am the stupid idiot who failed him. He...he died for me," Eggsy says between sobs.

"Eggsy...", he hesitates, trying to find a way to console the crying youngster.

"No, don't tell me not to cry. I did what Merlin said, I put the mission first. Now it is over, I have to. I can't stop it, Harry. Merlin's dead, just like Roxy and everyone else!" the tears roll freely down Eggsy's cheeks, his words broken up as he gasps for breath. "They were there for me when you died. Together, we saved the world, yeah? Then Roxy died and Kingsman was destroyed but Merlin was still there and he was the rock I held onto. Now he's gone. What do we do now, Harry?"

Despite the tear forming in his eye, he has to be strong for Eggsy, he decides. "Eggsy, first of all, Merlin belonged to Kingsman. Kingsman agents put their lives in danger all the time. Every single time we step on the field, we accept the risk, so did Merlin when he put on the suits. He chose to give his life to help save the world and he went down fighting, it was not your fault. If anything, Merlin would have been proud of you for not letting his sacrifice be in vain. We will rebuild Kingsman in his honour.", Harry tries to comfort Eggsy with words that he himself does not really believe. Anything to make the boy feels a little less horrible, he supposes. Not that he blames Eggsy, the blame lies with Harry himself. He would have a long hard cry later when everything is over when he is safe and alone somewhere. The world is saved but they are still standing in a ruin in the middle of nowhere with too many unknown factors.

"IS THERE ANYONE LEFT IN HERE?" booms a voice, both Harry as well as Eggsy sober up and reach for their guns. Luckily, the man walking through the diner's door is none other than Sir Elton John, still wearing his ridiculous feathery outfit but now without the high heel platform shoes, the glasses and the head cover, his hair all rumpled up. He spots Harry and Eggsy, his face immediately lights up and came over. "Hello again! I was outside and saw some helicopters with an "S" written on them arriving. Anyone you know? Should we trust them?"

"Oh my God, Sir Elton John!" exclaims Eggsy, then he realises what's going on and shouts, "The Statesmen are here!"

Harry breaths out a sigh of relief, at least they are not being stranded in this godforsaken ruin, given the fact that their pilot is no longer with them. He turns to Elton and says, "Yes, they are our allies, they should be able to give us a lift back to the US."

Elton grins maniacally, Harry can't fault the guy for being happy after such a long imprisonment under a mad woman like Poppy, and drags them outside. "Let's go to them! I am fucking sick of this place!"

The next hour or so goes by with a whirlwind of activities. The three of them run out to the helicopters; Harry fills Ginger in about what happened. She cries, of course, the woman seems sweet on Merlin. Eggsy and Elton become friendly quickly in the meantime, apparently their senses of humour match. Ginger decides to fly the three back with the Statesman airplane while the crew stays on the ground to excavate the site.

The airplane takes off. Harry and the other two go to the lounge while Ginger stays in the cockpit. It is eerie, a couple of hours ago three were also here but instead of Elton, it was Merlin. Merlin asked him for permission to wear his suits and he let him. He thought no harm would come to Merlin, he thought he could protect him, should anyone tried to hurt him. What he did not foresee was the minesweeper being malfunctioned and Merlin decided to play hero. It is not Eggsy's fault, it is his, he made the call. Merlin was never supposed to be on the field, trained soldier or not. 

His musing is interrupted as Elton, already changed back into standard Kingsman t-shirt and track pants, reluctantly comes to stand in front of him. He holds up something and hands it to Harry. "Harry, when I was outside of Poppy's lair looking for help, I came near a patch of land looking like it was recently blown up. This one was near where I stood, I did not know why I picked it up but the logo here looks like the ones on some of your things. Do you want it?"

Harry takes the object from Elton's hand and realises that it is a broken pair of glasses. Merlin's glasses. He closes his hand around it, drops his head down and starts crying, his whole body shakes. Elton is taken aback by his reaction, "Harry? Harry, what's wrong?" Eggsy shoots out of his own armchair and kneels in front of Harry, next to Elton.

 When he sees what Harry was holding, he turns to Elton, "The glasses belonged to our friend, Merlin. He sacrificed himself outside the lair to let us continue our mission, as you might have heard."

 "I'm sorry to hear that. He must have meant a lot to you," Elton looks on worriedly then tells them that he will let them mourn their fallen comrade and leaves the lounge. Eggsy doesn't say anything, he just sits down on the floor and lets Harry cry it out.

 

* * *

 

The plane lands back at Statesman's HQ private airport. Champ is amongst the people on the ground greeting them. Ginger comes out first to talk to him, Eggsy following behind, then Harry, looking calm, cool and collected like a proper gentleman and Elton is the last one to emerge. If Champ is surprised by him, he doesn't show it. He offers to give Elton a flight back to his home in Atlanta and he gladly accepts.

As he is about to move to the designated helicopter, Elton turns toward Eggsy and Harry. "Thank you two again for saving the world and me, Harry, Eggsy. Words cannot express how grateful I am. It is an honour knowing you. Never, ever hesitate to contact me for anything, one word, and I will be there."

Harry smiles while Eggsy grins and tell him, "Sure bruv, when we are all back in England, let's hang out, yeah?" Elton agrees, they shake hands and then Elton is on his way.

Champ doesn't waste any time beating around the bush. He invites Harry, Eggsy to the meeting room and tells Ginger to meet them there, along with Tequila as soon as his antidote is administered. They conclude during the meeting that Ginger should now be Whiskey, the Statesman is willing to help the Kingsman with rebuilding the organisation as well as a distillery in Scotland to honour Merlin, all profit going to Kingsman, of course. Another thing they decide together was that Harry would be called Arthur from now on, as he is the senior agent out of the only two left. They are both invited to stay at Stateman's HQ for as long as they wanted until they could sort out all necessary business matters. Harry lets no one knows of his feelings for Merlin and the pain he carries. Duty always comes first.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank deepfriedtwinkie for beta'ing this for me.
> 
> Finally, being an Elton John stan for 13+ years is good for something. I will try to use as much real information about Elton as possible in the work. Any imaginary detail will be noted at the end of the chapter.
> 
> The main ship of this fanfic will be Merlahad. It is not just background, I have to bring Merlin back first. The first few chapters will be used for building the friendship of the characters, however.
> 
> This chapter is a little sad, the next one will also be a little sad but I promise we are only going up.
> 
> Please enjoy :)


	2. Blues Never Fades Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elton and Harry sit down and have a talk with each other after Eggsy's wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time, the trio promised to hang out again, Harry still had no time for emotions. This is what happens next.

"...  
For reasons I never understood  
About the choices made between the bad and good  
I've tried to figure out why  
The pain never goes away  
  
And how did we get so lucky  
Targets on the rifle range  
Who makes the call and who gets to choose  
Who gets to win and who gets to lose  
It's like a rolling dice in the belly of the blues  
And blues never fade away."  
Blues Never Fades Away - Elton John/Bernie Taupin

* * *

 

**_3 months later, Eggsy's wedding_ **

 

Eggsy's wedding ceremony is coming to an end. He already kissed the bride and Elton played a few songs that the couple requested. Tilde was beyond the moon when Eggsy got Elton to play music as he proposed to her. The King and Queen were also extremely impressed, both being huge Elton John fans. That, along with Eggsy saving their daughter, means the young couple has their blessings. Eggsy is now living in Sweden as a prince, only reporting in if there is a mission. The boy was adamant that he will not give up being Kingsman, it means too much to him, but maybe they will try avoiding honeypot missions as much as possible.

Harry walks out of the church alone, the feeling of loss and loneliness creeps upon him. There are a few people he wishes were here. Lee, for example, to see his son becoming the Prince of Sweden and the pride of Kingsman. Merlin, to see the boy he trained and trusted so much making him proud. There's a hole in his heart that still aches constantly for Merlin, today worse than usual. So many years of service, so many lives saved and here he is, standing in an empty churchyard, lost and alone.

"Harry, you're still here!" a voice interrupts his musing. He looks up and sees Elton John walking toward him.

"Hello, Elton, the same can be said to you," Harry replies. It's good to see a familiar face.

"My bloody car broke down and my chauffeur is trying to fix it. Just my fucking luck," Elton rolls his eyes.

"Where do you stay? I can drive you back. I have nothing better to do."

"No saving the world today?" Elton teases.

"The world takes a day off from their mayhem causing ways for one of its saviours' wedding," Harry jokes.

"It should, there are just too many troubles these days," The musician pauses then continues, "You know what, I think I will take your offer. There is a restaurant and a bar at my hotel, we can talk there comfortably and not standing here like two idiots, my treat."

"That sounds like a splendid plan!", Harry agrees.

 

* * *

 

And that is, indeed, a splendid plan. The food at the hotel is divine and the wine is decadent. As they both eat, Harry notices that Elton does not drink any wine. It is slightly strange for a man of Elton's status to drink Diet Coke with his food. He voices his curiosity to Elton.

"Oh, don't stop enjoying on my behalf," Elton answers, waving his hand at Harry's glass of wine, "I haven't drunk a drop of alcohol in more than 25 years. Recovering alcoholic, you see. I had enough of this stuff in my youth to last me a lifetime. I do want to treat my guess with the best things money can buy, however, especially the one that saved my life." Harry nods his head to acknowledge the man's words, raises his glass to salute him and take a sip, no point wasting a good invitation.

Later on, after they have finished eating, the pair moves to the bar. Harry would totally not admit that he is already slightly tipsy but the wine before was _excellent_. They choose a table at a secluded corner to sit because Elton doesn't want to be approached by drunk strangers, posh or not. Harry feels like drinking some more to dull the ache inside him and so he ordered more drinks as they talk about current events.

After Harry's third glass of scotch, Elton asks, "So, Harry, what is weighing you down?"

Harry pretends that he doesn't understand the musician, "I have no idea what gives you that impression," his voice slightly slurring.

"You are sad, Harry. Today is Eggsy's wedding day, a joyous occasion, yet I feel a sense of pain and loss radiating from you. You looked as if you desperately needed some company. Also, you are drinking like a fish."

Harry is slightly shocked that Elton sees through his façade so easily but before he can start forming words, Elton continues, "Don't tell me you love that boy unrequitedly."

"Good God, no, Elton!" Harry objects immediately, "I consider Eggsy the son I never had. I am proud of him."

"Then enlighten this old man on why you are so sad, and I may be able to help you."

"You are not that much older than I am," Harry replies sarcastically.

"If you feel that I am intruding, simply say so. You don't need to divert my attention from the matter," Elton raises an eyebrow.

"Fine, I will tell you, but first I need another drink," Harry signals for the waiter to come and ask for another glass of scotch.

After the new drink arrived, Harry starts sipping on it. After a while, Elton has the impression that the other man no longer wants to talk. Oh well.

"Do you remember the pair of broken pair of glasses you handed me?" Harry starts, speaking each word carefully.

"Yes, you had an emotional breakdown after seeing it."

"It belonged to Merlin, our quartermaster," Harry pauses, Elton nods for him to continue. "We were close, very close. He joined Kingsman only a year after me. For a while, we were the organisation's youngest kids. We hated each other's guts at first. To him, I was a pompous snob who never suffered a day in my life. To me, he was just a prick with a permanent stick up his arse. Gods, we...we were children then. Somehow, he became my handler, we got through each mission together and became closer. We had each other's backs in and out of missions. He was my closest friend, my only real friend. Despite knowing that there is no safety in this line of work, I kept thinking, cockily, that we would...would bicker our way into the sunset.

"Did I ever tell you the story about Eggsy, Elton?" startled and surprised by the change of topic but does not want to interrupt, Elton simply raises his eyebrow then shakes his head. "His father, Lee, was a recruit for the Lancelot position. I brought him in as a 'fuck you' to the snobs running the organisation. Merlin trained him. He died to save Merlin and me because of a mistake I made. I held onto that guilt for years until I met Eggsy. I wanted to make the boy into a Kingsman to repay my debt. Merlin trained Eggsy too."

Harry picks up his glass and takes a big sip. He breathes in, out, starring at a point on the wall but not seeing it. "All those years, I tried paying my life-debt to Lee... not thinking about how Merlin might have felt about it...", Harry pauses, shaking his head as if to clear it, "He ended up giving his life up for Eggsy. Our minesweeper malfunctioned, Merlin tricked the boy into thinking he had a way to disarm the mine. I mean, he was Merlin, he could do everything, there were times we thought he had actual magic. He took his place instead."

"Waiter, another one!" Harry raises his voice. He waits for his drink while anger, regret, sadness and other emotions wage war in his one remaining eye. Elton put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, he sounded like an exceptional individual."

"You know what's horrible? I acted like a... a prick toward him before the mission. He asked me what his favourite singer was. I said I didn't bloody know. It was John Denver, by the way. Then, on the flight, knowing he was listening, I told Eggsy that I thought of no one when I was shot, that all my life, I had no one, only loneliness and regret. No one, hah! How the fuck does it make you feel, hearing your best friend say you didn't... didn't matter?"

Harry drains the full glass, tears running down his eye. Elton tries to say something but finds himself lost for words. Harry ends that dilemma by resuming the story. "I was the one letting Merlin on the field. Me. He was a quartermaster, he should not have been there. I was careless, I thought nothing could harm us, I thought I could...could protect him if needed. The bastard sang a fucking John Denver song as he died!" he pauses a little, lowering his voice, "As a part of...my heart died."

Harry falls silent, trying to breathe, Elton waits to see if he still has anything more to say. When it is clear that the distressed agent is done talking, Elton sighs, stands up and walk over to Harry's side and puts his arm around Harry's shoulders and squeezes it in consolation.

"Look, Harry," the older man speaks up after a while, "This might sound cliché as fuck but you have to know it was not your fault. You made the decision you deemed was best and he agreed. He walked in there on his own volition and he chose to sacrifice himself. You can't tear yourself up about it, Harry. It hurts badly enough, losing a friend, without adding your feeling of guilt on top. Trust me on this, Harry. I have lost many friends throughout my life. There were times I almost went insane wishing I could have done something different. Take Diana for example, after the accident, I kept berating myself for not telling her to stay or to use my place in Venice or Côte d'Azur instead of fucking Paris. Of course, it was bullshit. No one knew what would have happened; life happens when it happens, you can't control it."

Harry remains silent, lost in thoughts or just due to his drunkenness, Elton isn't sure, so he presses on, "If I ever lose Bernie, it would cripple me too and I don't even love him the way you love Merlin. I have experience with loss, however. I know, technically we are not the same, you have spent your life in danger, you have saved some people and watched other died, but the pain of losing a loved one is something that I understand. I lost my close friend and hero John Lennon when I was 33. I lost Freddie Mercury, someone I considered a brother, and Ryan White, someone I considered a son, when I was 44. I lost Gianni and Diana, two of my closest friends, in less than two months when I was 50..."

Elton pauses, sighs and continues, "And those are just people that the world know. I have lost many others not many know about, that doesn't make it any easier. I know the pain never goes away, Harry, all we can do is to try the best we can to move on and live a life those people wanted for us. Merlin wouldn't want you to live in despair like this."

The Kingsman raises his hands to signal the waiter but Elton stops him. Harry turns his blurry eye to the knight and Elton shakes his head, "I think you've had enough, Harry. Look at you, you are drunk. I doubt anything I say tonight will stay with you tomorrow. We should call it a night."

"N...not drunk. Let me drink some more," Harry slurs.

"Definitely drunk. Let's go. I will call you a cab."

"Can I...crash here? Will drive back tomorrow. No cab. Kingsman car."

"Fine, if you sleep on the couch."

"Can sleep on the floor."

Harry ends up having to lean on the older man to be able to stand and Elton has to do most the walking for both of them. At one point, during the elevator ride up, Elton has to tell Harry, "Fuck, Harry, I can't carry you. If you pass out on me right now, we are sleeping in this elevator tonight," Harry hums and Elton sighs, "No, Harry, it's not fucking ok, stay awake a bit longer, will you?"

The drunk agent, luckily, manages to drag himself up to the front of the hotel room and wait. After the door is opened, Elton all but hauls him onto the sofa like a sack of grain and Harry goes along happily. "Some spy you are," Elton mutters, going to his bedroom to pick up a pillow and a blanket for Harry.

When he comes back, Harry is sprawled out on the sofa, one arm and leg hanging off the side. Elton sighs, glad that he is no longer the drunk he used to be, sits down and tries to remove Harry's shoes. "You have to take your jacket and waistcoat off at least."

Harry slowly and groggily complies but as Elton stands up over to pick his discarded pieces of clothes, he pulls him down. "Harry, what the fuck?"

"Hmm...you are so...warm and...soft and...smell nice, want t' stay...here tonight?" the drunk tries to say.

"Darling, you're pretty but I'm not interested in taking advantage of a drunk, emotionally devastated man," Elton struggles to get out of Harry's grip, when he finally manages to stand up, he throws the pillow and blanket on top of Harry, "Sleep now, don't do shit you will regret tomorrow morning."

Harry falls asleep quickly after, Elton sighs and goes off to change and finally catches some sleep himself. He definitely doesn't miss drinking and acting that way.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Harry wakes up with a headache and his mouth tasting like death. Well, this isn't new, he's been waking up with a hangover a lot lately. What new is the place he finds himself in. Oh shit, where is this? He opens his eye, squinting at first because of how bright the room is. The events of the last 24 hours come back to him. Eggsy's wedding, the dinner, the talk, and...oh... _shit shit fuckity fuck_. He frantically looks around. The place is quiet and empty, Elton is not here. On the coffee table in front of the sofa, he sees a glass of water and a piece of paper. He drinks the water gratefully and read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm sorry for leaving so soon, I have business concerning the AIDS foundation later today so I have to go and get ready. All the bills have been taken care of, just check out when you want. I hope you will find yourself in a better mood. I mean it, keep the good memories of Merlin in your heart and be strong, you friend would want that for you. If you need help or someone to talk to, don't hesitate to write or call._

_With love,_

_Elton._

Elton doesn't seem upset, that's good. Harry still owes him an apology next time they meet, however. The man was nothing but gracious and Harry went and made an arse out of himself. No use fretting over it now, he supposes. There is a lot of work to be done back in the UK and he is needed there as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for this angst but I think if there's anyone qualified for Harry to talk to, it's Elton. He is someone who is well-acquainted with the pain of loss. He talks about it a lot nowadays in interviews and in his songs so I try to incorporate them into the fic in a respectful way. The song "Blues Never Fade Away", which lyrics I used above, is actually one of those instances. Link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3OnTxB_cZA
> 
> The drunk part is me trying to lighten up the mood with some comedy after such a heavy talk. Wouldn't do to leave you guys sad before Christmas. I am working hard on the 3rd and last part of "Hello, Beloved Husband" which is filled with a lot of fluff and I hope it will be posted over the holiday to make up for this sadness.
> 
> Coming up next: the trio meet again and Elton reveals some facts about himself.
> 
> As usual, I thank deepfriedtwinkie for beta'ing for me.


	3. Captain Fantastic And The Gentleman Spies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio sits down for a chat and pushes the plot forward.

"Captain Fantastic raised and regimented, hardly a hero  
Just someone his mother might know  
Very clearly a case for corn flakes and classics  
'Two teas both with sugar please'  
In the back of an alley."  
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy - Elton John/Bernie Taupin  
 

 

* * *

 

 

_**A month later, Kingsman's temporary HQ.** _

 

Harry stops typing on the computer and sighs. This whole damn administrating job makes him weary. He was made to be a field agent, living on the thrill of the fight. Sitting and typing is Merlin's job. Was. If he has to correspond with another incompetent government at an arse end of the world, he might just go berserk by himself. He wishes Merlin was here; the man would sprinkle some of his magic on things and get them sorted out in no time. He also misses the snark; it is awfully dull around here.

His phone rings and he considers not picking up. Closing shop early tonight, going home and getting drunk sounds terribly inviting right now. He glances at the caller's name and sees Eggsy's. Well, this you've got to pick up.

"Hello, Eggsy."

"Hello, 'Arry! I'm in London right now to visit mum! Wanna go for a drink in an hour? Elton's coming too, he's just got back from the States for Christmas!"

"Didn't know you and Elton are best friends now, Eggsy."

"He's great, super fun to talk to. Helped me out with royal matters and shit, we're both from working class, yeah? So, you coming or not?"

"Very well, if you insist," Harry sighs, pretending to be mildly annoyed, knowing that Eggsy is not fooled. "I admit, that does sound remarkably better than drinking alone."

"I'll text you the place. See you there. Gotta run, Daisy wants to buy more clothes! Bye!" Eggsy says excitedly then ends the call.

 

* * *

 

 

_**1 hour later, at an upscale pub in London.** _

 

Harry has already been sitting at a table for the last 10 minutes, sipping his first Guinness. He did indeed close up shop early to come here. The new Arthur chuckles dryly, imagining how displeased Merlin would have been if he saw Harry shirking responsibilities like this.

From the corner of his eyes, he sees Elton walking in, wrapped up in winter clothes. He raises his hand and waves for Elton to come over. Elton takes off his coat and scarf, hangs it on the nearby hanger and sits down opposite Harry. He is wearing his usual combination of a t-shirt and blazer with bold details underneath, not exactly colourful but stands out enough. His glasses match the colour of his t-shirt.

"Hello, Elton," Harry greets him.

Elton smiles and greets him back, "Hello, Harry. Started the party already, I see."

"Oh, this is my first drink. I'm not planning to get drunk off my arse like last time," Harry looks from the glass in front of him to Elton, "Sorry about that, by the way. And thank you. You were very gracious."

Elton shakes his head. "Nothing to be sorry about. I got drunk and made a fool out of myself many times in my life. It's time I help someone else to not get in the same situation. Although," he stops and grins cheekily, "It IS a knight's duty to help damsels in distress."

Harry laughs, "Sir Elton, it was most gallant of you," then he continues with sincerity, "And thank you for lending an ear. I'm trying hard to continue living as you told me. It's tough, but I think I can get through it."

"That's good to hear," nods Elton, then he calls over a waiter and asks for some tea. The waiter is both star-struck by Sir Elton John and weirded out by the order, they are in a pub, after all, so he just stands there for a few seconds. At Elton's raised eyebrow, he snaps out of it and quickly moves away.

The waiter comes back with the tea just as Eggsy arrives. The youngest man looks out of breath as if he has been running a marathon.

"Sorry, bruvs, I forgot the time while shopping with mum and Daisy. Ran here as fast as I could."

Harry doesn't feel like he is in any position to scold people for being late, so he merely nods his head and greets Eggsy. Elton assures Eggsy that he has also just arrived, no harm's done.

They catch up on their lives a little, Eggsy talks about Tilde and learning to do his new duties as a prince. Harry complains about having to deal with all the bureaucratic bullshit and Elton recounts some memorable concerts he has had lately as well as some projects his foundation is involved in.

At one point, Eggsy asks, "Did you guys really kill a robot dog together at Poppy's?"

Harry nods to confirm while Elton grins cheekily, "That felt so good!"

"How d' it go? Come on! You can't just leave it like that!" Eggsy bounces like a child waiting for his Christmas present.

Elton and Harry tell a very enthusiastic Eggsy how the whole thing goes down, one filling in the details for the other. Elton gets gleeful when he recalls saying "Fuck you" to Poppy via the dog's camera.

Harry asks Elton after the story is told, "How did you get to me? Did they let you out?"

Elton snorts, "Hah, as if! I heard a commotion and decided to take my chances. Beat up three guards to make it out."

"What? You serious, bruv? Those were armed, trained guards."

"I had the element of surprise on my side, also," Elton leans closer as if telling a secret, his voice low, "I had training when I was young."

"You did? For real? How'd it happen?", Eggsy asks excitedly.

"My father was a Royal Air Force officer, the kind that fought in World War 2. He wasn't the nicest man to mother and me but he was my father and I wanted to make him happy. When he heard I was pursuing music, he told me to drop it and become someone respectable like a soldier, or banker," Elton recalls. "I hated the idea of being a banker and such, so I decided to try for the army. I spent a year secretly training hard with a veteran I found outside of school and gigs. I thought if I was going to do it, I had to at least do it well."

"And how was it?" Harry asks, actually interested in knowing.

The older man chuckles. "Well, I am a musician now, am I not?" still with a half-smile on his face, he continues, "I was heavily short-sighted, you know? Tried to hide it but they caught my bullshit pretty quickly. Begged them to let me try but they turned me away. What a waste of time."

Elton sighs, "My father was displeased with me pursuing a career in music, enough that he sort of disowned me. Thinking back, not many things I did pleased him. I became a football fan because of him. I bought Watford F.C because it was the thing that gave me the fondest memories of him. Brought it all the way up from the Fourth Division to First Division. By that time he already had a new family in Liverpool and became a Liverpool supporter. I am still upset we lost the league to them in 83." Elton looks like he is going to say more but catches himself in time, "Sorry, I just went way off there, didn't I?"

Harry shakes his head. "I too had a father who thought I brought shame upon the family's name, I can sympathise with you."

Eggsy assures Elton, "It's a great story, yeah? So, did you ever fight anyone, how can you keep your skills after so many years?"

Elton looks around to survey the pub, making sure no one is eavesdropping or able to listen to the conversation accidentally. He gestures for Harry and Eggsy to lean closer, "So, not sure if I can tell you this, but if you ever let this be known to anyone then we are all fucked. The only reason I even think of doing it right now is that of who you are. Promise to keep this a secret?" Both Eggsy and Harry nods.

"I help the MI6 out sometimes."

"You what, bruv?" at Eggsy's exclamation, both Elton and Harry put a finger to their mouths to shush him. "Sorry," Eggsy says, voice much lower.

Harry waves his hand all over the table and around them. After he's done, he tells a puzzled Elton, "Checking for bugs, in case we stand at an unfortunate location. All clear, please do continue."

Elton laughs uneasily and resumes his story, "Well, it started in 1979. I was going to be the first artist from the West to perform behind the Iron Curtain. The intelligence service could not pass that chance up. They came to me and asked me to help them. Only simple reconnaissance stuff, to be honest, but I am Elton John, superstar, I go wherever the fuck I want and I do whatever the fuck I wish to, it is indeed the best cover," he snorts sarcastically.

"From then on, sometimes when I toured somewhere that they needed information from, they came and we worked out what could and was needed to be done. They made me retrain some of the skills once in a while in case something goes bad. It would be an international diplomatic disaster if Elton John gets shot while spying, wouldn't it? I never had to use them before Poppy, however. It was better when the only thing people thought they had to look out for were my tantrums."

Both Kingsmen stares at Elton John for a few seconds. That was some information to take in. Elton smiles uncomfortably as the silence drags on.

"Wow..." the younger agent breaks the silence first.

"Are you spying on us?" Harry asks. He doesn't even know why he would ask the question, if Elton is spying on them, it is unlikely he will admit it.

The knight actually looks offended. "I can't believe you just said that!" he shakes his head in disbelief. "I guess it should be expected," be shrugs, trying to find a good way to explain himself. "No, I am not spying on you. I get to decide what I do; if I don't want to do a mission, I don't. My criterion is that it has to benefit the people. I am close to the Royal Family, but that doesn't mean I'd do _anything_ for Queen and Country. As you are fighting to benefit the good of the people, I don't have any reason to work against you."

Harry considers Elton's words, then nods his head. Eggsy accepts the answer more willingly. After sipping his beer, he asks, "So, was Poppy a target?"

Elton, more at ease now, answers, "No, I had no business there. That bitch just straight out kidnapped me amid all the commotions. Out of one prison, into another, crazier one. Out of the frying pan, into the fire, as they say."

"You were captured by Valentine?" the young agent sounds surprised.

"Yeah, like hell I would have agreed with him. When the V-day event passed and my cell was opened, an under-cover lackey from Poppy grabbed me straight from there to her hideout. I was too disorientated and confused to realise what was going on until it was too late."

"I am sorry to hear what you've been through. That must have been a long period of captivity," Harry offers his sympathy.

"It was depressing. In the first few months with her, I tried to escape. She ended up putting a fucking electric dog collar on me. After a while, I started losing hope and just tried to pass the days," sadness etches on the musician's face, his eyes downcast. "I broke my vow never to use any addictive substances ever again. The depression caught me, I was not as strong as I thought I would be. Shit almost killed me, too."

Both Kingsman agents put a hand on the musician's shoulders in reassurance. Harry affirms, "You came out alive. You made it back and you hit the ground running. I have seen you performed and leading your foundation as if nothing was amiss, you are strong, Elton."

"Yeah, no one blames you. Also, it was just weed. You got off it immediately after." Eggsy tries to make the situation better.

Elton doesn't look very convinced but he chooses to change the topic. "So, moving on, can I ask you a personal question?" After getting the nods from the two agents, he asks, "Did you ever find Merlin's body?"

Both Kingsmen shake their head. The junior agent explains, anger in his eyes, "Somehow, Statesman received zero information from the excavation team. There was nothing. I call bullshit."

"Actually... I have an update on that," says the senior agent. "This information just came in, but as it turns out, coincidentally, a few drug cartels were attacking Poppy's hideout on that very same day. We missed them by a hair. The excavation team was not as lucky."

Both Eggsy and Elton are completely surprised by the revelation. "What for?" inquires the former Poppy captive.

"They wanted the antidote, obviously. Many of them were victims of the poison and others want to sell them, I guess. And now they are the new kings."

"So did the Statemen come back? Fucking hell, this is a fucking mess!" exclaims Eggsy. "I just want fucking Merlin back!"

"They did, a couple of times, but they were as much in the dark as we were. The clues about competing drug cartels only surfaced recently. One strange thing is that they certainly could not find anything from Merlin. They had finally admitted the graveness of the situation to me a few days ago and I am making calls everywhere, but we don't have enough staffs for anything at the moment."

"I did not see him when I went out. Merlin could still be alive then, they might have taken him while laying low, waiting for us to leave," Elton suggests.

"Hell yeah! I like this idea!" Eggsy interjects, his face is full of hope.

Harry hates to rain on their parade but the probability of Merlin surviving a mine blast is minimal, and if he was still alive, he could not survive the blood loss that came after. Harry feels himself getting sick. What if Merlin was alive and they left him to death by being careless. The image appears in Harry's mind and he gets visibly green. The other two men notice it immediately and try to get Harry to calm down. Eggsy tries to shake Harry gently out of it and Elton hands him the drink.

After calming down, Harry tells them that while it is great to be optimistic, the chance is almost zero. They don't even have many ideas about the new drug lord and their organisation. Statemen's force is being stretched thin with cleaning up the mess and dealing with all the new criminals appearing after the disaster, and Kingsman...well, there are only two Kingsman agents left. Elton drinks his tea thoughtfully.

"I might be able to ask around," the rock-star says after contemplating things over carefully. "It is a long shot, I can't promise anything but I know people who know people, they may be able to help."

The new Arthur is surprised; he looks at Elton in bewilderment. Elton looks back at him and shrugs, "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Please be careful. We don't know what we are dealing with."

"Don't worry, I've been doing this for a while.", the musician winks.

The three men talk over the details a little more and then it is time to part. They promise to meet again, wish one another happy holidays and each of them then goes their separate way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify: Elton's father was an actual RAF officer and Elton is really bitter about him IRL. I watched a couple of interviews with him two days ago and Elton went on a rant about his father in both, it is a sore thing for him. Actually, he took up the Billy Elliot musical project because of the issues with his father. The only thing I made up in this part was Elton taking up training and trying to join the army.
> 
> Also, another made up thing is, obviously, the MI6 thing. So, anyone from any spy agency who happens to read this, this is fiction, guys, please don't kill me or Elton *shifty eyes*.
> 
> I have Elton being captured by Valentine before Poppy because Matthew Vaugh said that he imagined Elton fighting at the V-day bunker for the first movie (and I read that Elton was supposed to be one of the prisoners too).
> 
> Next time: The plot moves forward even more and maybe we will finally see Merlin.


	4. Rocket Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Information gets shared and preparations are made.
> 
> Thanks, deepfriedtwinkie, for beta'ing for me!

"All this science I don't understand  
It's just my job five days a week  
A rocket man, a rocket man  
  
And I think it's gonna be a long long time  
Till touchdown brings me round again to find  
I'm not the man they think I am at home  
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man  
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone."  
Rocket Man - Elton John/Bernie Taupin

The days after New Year have been hectic; Harry received a stack of files from the remaining Kingsman staffs on John Does being admitted into hospitals across the UK on the day Poppy attacked them; he must try to find out if any of the Kingsman agents were still alive. With every single false alarm, it became more and more disheartening. He was about to give up hope when he found Lancelot. She was badly injured and suffered various burns but had gained enough consciousness to recognise them, mostly Eggsy. They let her stay in the hospital until she is reasonably recovered and offered to pay all the fees. Eggsy was beyond the moon to get his best friend back and is now in merry spirit, enough to firmly believe that they can find Merlin and "get the family back together", as per his words.

Earlier today, only less than two weeks after the last meeting, Harry received a phone call from Elton, stating that they need to meet as soon as possible, somewhere safe and secure. After much debate with himself, and later Eggsy, he decided to invite Elton to his temporary Kingsman office. Eggsy and Elton both got on the earliest flights from their respective locations back to London. He wonders what has got the man so frantic.

That leads us to right now, with Harry sitting on the sofa, Elton and Eggsy each occupying an armchair nearby, sipping tea. The benefit of being Arthur is that, even when your HQ is only temporary, your office is still spacious.

Harry finally asks, "So, what do you have for us, Elton?"

Eggsy chimes in before the older man has a chance to reply, "Any news of Merlin, bruv?"

Elton shakes his head, "Sorry on the Merlin front, hard to ask a lot about a secret agent whose real name and face I don't know without arousing suspicion." At Eggsy's pout, he quickly adds, "But I do have news on the drug trafficking gang."

"Indeed? Please share with us," Harry moves to sit closer as a habit even though no one is eavesdropping.

"So, I have friends who have friends who know the people supplying the drugs being used in and around Hollywood as well as other places at the moment. Rich, famous or powerful people in general. They are still small-scale and have been looking for a way to capture the market left behind by Poppy. At the moment, they can only reach single clients because their name isn't trusted. I now know who to contact, in case we want to establish a connection. Real higher up people. May lead to their HQ."

"Bloody hell!" Eggsy exclaims, "Where do you get all this information from?"

"I can't tell you, sorry." Elton shakes his head.

"What are you, bruv, the celebrity mafia?" Eggsy asks incredulously, his eyes wide.

Elton guffaws while Harry just shakes his head and sighs. After Elton manages to get his laughter under control, he says, "I wish I could say yes for the sake of narration, but no. I simply don't want to involve friends who already helped me out any more than I need to."

They fall into silence while Harry contemplates what to do with the information. "Where do you think they are based?" Harry asks after a while.

"An artificial island in Central America. Perfect place to get cocaine from the south and deliver them up north," says Elton, frowning. "Although, I don't have the exact location."

"Tilde and I did hear something about the upper class folks needing a new easily accessed supplier of drugs. So, the kingpin needs someone to help them penetrate the market, and the market needs someone they know to buy from. Maybe we can pretend that we want to be such a link?" Eggsy chimes in.

"So, between me and you, Eggsy, who should be the one doing it?" Despite being Arthur, Harry would like to hear the opinion of Eggsy. He is no Chester, who thinks he knows best and only barking out orders. Even Chester had Merlin doing most of the thinking for him anyways. _It is just not fair_ , he thinks.

"I don't think you should do this, Harry." Eggsy says thoughtfully. "You are a gent, yeah? Bit too sophisticated if you ask me, and no actual connection. We need to grab their attention. We need a recognisable name. I should go, I am a Prince."

Elton contemplates silently, glancing first at Harry, then at Eggsy. He seems to be debating with himself about something, so Harry and Eggsy wait patiently for Elton to speak his mind.

"I think I should be the one doing it," he announces after a while.

"I can think of at least ten reasons I should turn your offer down right now," Harry states, raising one eyebrow. Eggsy nods.

"Please, consider these things," Elton says, "First of all, Eggsy is right. We need someone prominent. Eggsy and I are both known to the public. However, Eggsy being a prince is a hindrance. He is followed and scrutinised almost 24 hours a day by his own people. Hanging out at unsavoury places with less than upstanding members of society would definitely be a problem. Also, a member of the royal family can't risk the whole monarchy's reputation for money they don't need. A prince, facilitating a drug deal, it would raise many questions, and they would be more on guard.

"Me, I'm a rock star who has a history of substance abuse, I was also with Poppy. I can say that I have relapsed. I can say that I would like more power over people. I also have more contacts with the celebrities than most anyone, that makes me desirable to someone who wants to spread their products to said market."

"Yeah... You have a point.", Eggsy says, hesitantly. "What do you think though, Harry?"

"Elton isn't Kingsman," Harry responds, glancing first at Eggsy, then turning to Elton and look him straight in the eye. "You are a good friend and an even greater help, but we can't impose on you like this. This is so much more than simple reconnaissance, too risky."

"You also have a point, damn!", Eggsy is perplexed.

"Look, both of you. I know you are concerned," Elton sighs. "But please think of it. I can take care of myself. I promise I won't fight or do something stupid. I want to help, this is something that hits close to home and we don't have a lot of time."

Eggsy still appears slightly lost and worried while Harry just stares into nothingness for a while, takes off his glasses and rubs his eye then puts it back on. "Can you walk outside for a moment, please? Eggsy and I need to discuss this."

Elton nods, stands up and walks outside. He looks around the hall and sees some pictures of all sizes on the wall. Many of them have Harry, in which he stands with various men wearing bespoke suits like him. In others, there are Eggsy and a few others, including a girl. Notably, a few pictures of Harry with a bald man in glasses who only wears wool sweaters on top of his shirts and tie can be seen. Eggsy has a picture of himself with the same man and another of them both with the girl. _This must be Merlin_ , he thinks, _I can see a few more pictures of him in the mix here_ . He studies the man. _Tall, fit, handsome, beautiful hazel eyes, shame about what happened_.

Suddenly, the door opens, interrupting his musing. Eggsy pokes his head out and says, "Hey, Elton, you can come inside now!"

He re-enters the room and sits down where he was before. He turns from Eggsy to Harry expectantly.

"If you are doing this, there are a few conditions," Harry speaks up, getting Elton's attention. At his nod, Harry continues, "You will wear our glasses 100% of the time while you are on this mission. I will monitor you via our computers, I will tell you where to go and what to do, and you will do it. You will also wear our bullet-proof suits because we don't want you dead if something goes wrong. You will not do anything reckless that might endanger yourself."

Elton stays silent for a minute, deep in thought. Finally, answers. "If you want me to wear your glasses and clothes, there must be significant changes made."

Seeing Harry and Eggsy's bewildered expression, he continues, "I can't show up looking like you guys. I am Elton John, a brand. People all have a mental image of what I look like before they even meet me. If I show up in dark-framed glasses and dark wool double-breasted bespoke, people will be suspicious. Have you seen the suits I wear, they are quite particular."

"But you can't walk in there without a connection to us and any protection, bruv!" Eggsy proclaims.

"I didn't say I would," Elton smirks. "We will need to alter the style of the suits and the glasses." His smirk turns into a full grin when he sees Harry flinching at the idea of ruining their beautiful uniform. "We can either have you guys change the style to resemble what I usually wear or giving me the materials and I will ask my friends to do it for me."

"I'd like to keep our one single remaining tailor, Tom, alive," Harry chuckles, "I am certain he will die of a heart attack if he has to, in his words, 'ruin the perfect suits', the guy is very conservative," he becomes serious again, "But I am uneasy about handing over our propriety fabric to strangers."

"That shouldn't be a problem, my friends in the fashion words are prestigious people and they are used to keeping secrets. Trust me on this, we are not the worst they've handled."

"And I suppose you can't tell us who they are?" ask Eggsy. Elton shakes his head and the young man throws his hands up, "Right, the celebrities mafia."

Elton rolls his eyes and turns to Harry, "For the glasses, it'd be best if I just hand over a couple of my own pairs to you guys and let you do your magic with them."

Harry once again wishes Merlin was here; he would be able to do that in a couple of hours. With the amount and skills of tech staffs left, it would take a few days at least. _Better than nothing, I guess._

"It is doable. In the meantime, we should work up a plan and go through it as many times as we can. I want to avoid all unnecessary risks in this." Harry concludes.

* * *

 

As it turned out, establishing communication between Elton John and the drug gang wasn't tricky. They are desperate to get their hands on the delicious piece of cake no one else has managed to get. When Elton requested a meeting with their leader, they accepted immediately. All it took was a phone call, a short meeting with their contact and a little bit of razzle-dazzle from Elton's side. The knight and the agents noticed the new gang's lack of experience.

Right now, Elton is standing at a private helipad in Atlanta, waiting for the meeting. Before he flew here, Harry and Eggsy have already fussed over him and tried to go through the whole plan again. Harry was not particularly happy with Elton's suits, adorned in crystals and intricate, colourful sewing patterns, he can tell. It's too flashy and catches attention, but he has a role to play. _He's seen me in worse stuff_ , Elton snorts to himself, _and it's not like the Kingsman's expensive bespokes don't stand out in a crowd_. He is also wearing the new glasses, white frame with flowers printed on and light pink lenses. The seemingly innocent plastic pair of glasses, as promised, are fitted with cutting-edge technology and Harry is seeing everything through his eye. Not only that, they have been training him to text with his eyes via the glasses for more than a week, as it is more stealthy than Harry talking.

Meanwhile, Harry is at the Stateman HQ in Kentucky, overseeing the mission. He came over earlier on the day, commandeered the new Whiskey's computer system and promised them he would "tell you all about it later, but we need your help". Eggsy is getting ready for a quick rescue should things go tits up.

The helicopter arrives at the agreed time. _Can't back out anymore, better not fuck this up_ , Elton gulps. It's easier to be calm when he's running through this in his head than in reality. As soon as he gets on, they put a black bag on his head. He knows that would happen, no serious criminal would let you see where they are taking you, but he still complains and bitches to intimidate them. One's got to keep up appearance after all. Harry assures him via the glasses that he can still track him easily and Eggsy is starting to mobilise.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit shorter than before. I decided to break here because if I break at a later logical location, it would be a huge cliff-hanger and I don't want to impose that on you (also it would be too long). This chapter (and the next one) are kind of hard to write and I have agonized over them for so long, might as well post this one here first.
> 
> Next chapter, some tense stuff are gonna happen and this time I promise we will get to see a certain someone.


End file.
